UNDERTOW - GIBSON QUARTER

Do you know what dear reader? I was just thinking. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to actually be a comic book creator before? You know what I mean, right? Just the thought that someone is looking at your work, and inspiring them to do good things, be good people, and say good words. Now I am sure that my mate Gibson knows exactly what I mean by this, and that is why he and his pals, Greg and Luke, have done a couple of interview with me one frosty morn on the planet Mars, whilst we were all getting pissed. Here is the first of these three interviews.

1) What was the first comic book you ever read? Now I'm not 100% sure if it was the FIRST comic I ever read, but if not, it sure was close. The comic that made BY FAR the biggest impression on me was Uncanny X-men #114, back in the Byrne/Austin glory days. The fact that I'm drawing comics today is directly related to that book.

2) How did your passion for art grow? And what other inspirations inspired you to become an artist? MY passion for art grew with those early X-men issues. Other inspirations? Just my love for good comic art. I enjoy looking at the actual pages before colors/lettering etc. Books like the IDW 'Artist's edition' which print the originals really make me want to get drawing more pages immediately.

3) If your style of art was a movie, a piece of music, or an object, what would it be and why? It would be a rap song no question. Full of energy, a good beat, and influences (samples) of other great music in a modern relevant form.

4) What was your first piece of commercial work? It was a page for the now defunct 'Northern Lightz' magazine over in Scotland. Issue #7 or 8 I think.

5) How did you find yourself working with famed-bat Scotsman, Alan Grant? And what was it like working with him? I owe my penciling career to Frank Quitely. I was a big fan of his work, and was trying to track down his early work. I found some in the early Northern Lights magazines and emailed them to purchase "every issue Frank had art in". I got a nice email back inquiring about this, and I mentioned I was a budding artist. They asked to see some samples so i sent them some. The very next day I was emailed 3 scripts written by Alan, asking if I'd like to draw one. After picking my jaw up off the floor, I picked the one that was most likely to be an ongoing strip if I drew it well, and the rest is history.

Alan is a SUPER nice guy who can write hell out of anything he wishes! I enjoyed working with him immensely, and will do it again in a heartbeat. I learned so much from him, and I owe him a great deal because of it. My only regret was that I wasn’t such a competent artist back then, so I wish I could have draw his scripts better. However, I did the best I could at the time, and that's all you can do.

6) What is your own personal opinion on current pop culture? Movies – Comics – and the Media in general. And is this a good or bad thing in retrospect? I think pop culture is GREAT! I'm always immersed in it, and can find merit in most of what’s out there. The quality of current movies are on a bit of a decline in my eyes, but modern T.V. series (HBO, AMC etc.) more than make up for it. Comics? Never better. we seems to have so much varied content and exceptional talent-along with greater mainstream approval, so its all good baby.

7) What is your all time favourite comic book creators, movie, and actor / actress? And again, why? Geez, these questions are hard to answer! For comic creators (artists) I can whittle it down to 3: Frank Quitely, Joe Mad, and Arthur Adams. Favorite movie? Either: Enter the Dragon, Seven, or Unforgiven. Actor and Actresses? I seem to change my favorites every week.

8) If you could get to change one thing about how the media is perceived by society, what would that be, and how would you go about changing it? The media needs to stop selling FEAR. I mean come on, there are many positive things happening in the world, but you’ll rarely hear about it from the mainstream media. They will focus mostly on the negative and sensational item.

To change it? I’d encourage people to take what the media tells you with a grain of salt, and don’t be afraid to question why.

9) During your time as an artist, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead? I’d probably say my positive attitude and work ethic.

10) Do you have any tips or advice for an aspiring artist? I have all sorts of them over at my blog (click here for an example). I run a segment called ‘Ask an artist on the 11th –A3on11’ where I answer questions that come my way via twitter or Facebook. There is a pretty good range of questions, answers and advice there.

To close out this interview, I’d say define your goals, work at them and don’t be afraid to ask (and take) advice. Get your work out there! With so many good sights like Deviant art, blogs, Facebook, there is no excuse not to. Lastly, go to cons! I didn’t do a lot of convention appearances in my early days, and think it really worked against me. I do lots of them now, and really enjoy it.

So there you have it dear reader, Gibson and his work in the comic book field. When you have the time, please check out his preview of Undertow #2 at 7thwavecomics, or his own blog gibsonartquarter27art. Trust me when I say that you will not be sorry that you did. Also, stay tuned for another interview I will have soon with Gibson's college, Luke and Greg, very soon.

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